02/28/2010

First Settlers of New York in 1624

Henry Hoff has a great article in the most recent American Ancestors Magazine. He points out that unlike Massachusetts which has several heritage societies like the Mayflower Society, there is no heritage Society for those whose ancestors were in the first two known ships to come from Europe to Manhattan. Perhaps Manhattanites think it's--yawn--too boring [as someone born on W. 29th Street I can say that]. In any case, of the eleven known families on the de Eendracht and the Nieuw Nederland, Michael descends from two of them: Jean Monfort and his wife Jacqueline Moreau, and Guleyn Vigne and his wife Andrienne Cuvellier. All were Walloons, French-speaking protestants (Huguenots) that came from what would be today Belgium. So, Michael is a first-comer and his choice of profession (French teacher) may be genetic.